North Jersey officer arraigned in ticket-fixing case

MORRISTOWN – A Rockaway Township police officer accused of trying to fix a relative's drunken driving ticket has pleaded not guilty to a charge of official misconduct.

Clifton Gauthier, 35, of Sparta also is accused of witness tampering. He was arraigned Wednesday in state Superior Cort.

The suspended officer is accused of asking the state trooper who had ticketed his cousin not to appear in municipal court so the DWI ticket could be dismissed.

Morris County prosecutors have offered a plea deal of five years in prison to resolve the case.

Authorities have said Gauthier contacted the trooper on Feb. 9, 2012, and "suggested" he didn't need to appear for trial because the charge was resolved. The municipal prosecutor at the time, Denis Driscoll, questioned the trooper's failure to appear because the case was not resolved and Driscoll was prepared to proceed against the defendant.

Gauthier was hired by the Rockaway police force in July 2005.

Under the plea offer, he would have to serve all five years of the prison sentence before he would be considered for parole. Gauthier also would have to forfeit his public employment, if he took the deal.